Marc Gene drives the first few laps in the new simulator - obviously, there's no need to drive with a helmet when you're not really doing 200 mph

The Ferrari F2008 steering wheel gives an inkling of what is adjustable for the driver during a race - imagine the complexities of what else can be adjusted by the engineers

No driving simulator is capable of reproducing the real feeling that a driver experiences in a Formula One car - but a simulator is the next best thing.

The new simulator means it is possible to drive a model of a virtual vehicle, experiencing sensations that can be referenced to a real one, such as this, at less expense.

There is no substitute for real world testing, but the simulator means you begin every testing session with a huge head start.

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Article Summary

Simulators have long been used to teach new skills that would otherwise involve great expense and/or great risk - like learning to fly a new aeroplane. Now Ferrari has built its own F1 simulator so it can develop its Formula One cars and train its drivers to use new technology and to race on new tracks without breaking F1 rules limiting testing in the real world. The simulator uses ten linked computers, 60 GB of RAM, five giant 3D video screens, a 3500 watt Dolby sound system, and weighs more than 200 tonnes. Even the 130 kW electrical power supply for the machine is a beast.